Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz has won the 2019 Giro d’Italia as he defended his lead with composure to retain an advantage of 1’05” over Vincenzo Nibali while Primoz Roglic regained his spot on the podium at the expense of Mikel Landa.
American rider Chad Haga won the closing time trial in Verona ahead of Belgians Victor Campenaerts and Thomas De Gendt.
Giro d’Italia winner Richard Carapaz said in the press conference: “I want to enjoy this victory with my wife, my kids and speak on the phone with my parents. I’m very proud of what I achieved. I’m delighted to make my dream of winning a Grand Tour come true. We must never forget our childhood dreams. They can always become reality with hard work and determination. In my four years in European cycling, I realized that opportunities have to be caught. The thirty seconds I gained on stage 15 were fundamental. I profited from [Vincenzo] Nibali and [Primoz] Roglic watching each other. That’s where the Giro was decided. For me, it’s only the beginning I think. We always dream for more.”
Second placed Vincenzo Nibali said: “This morning, I knew it would be extremely difficult to win the Giro d’Italia. But I thought I could do a good time trial. So I gave it all until the end. Second at the Giro is still a good result, especially thinking that six months ago, I was down with a big back pain after the crash at the Tour de France. To be back fighting for the overall victory in a Grand Tour is something positive.”
Third placed Primoz Roglic said: “It’s super nice to end up on the final podium after the different problems I’ve had. I felt tired today but after I badly suffered from my stomach in the mountains, I didn’t think I’d be competitive in this time trial.”
The stage winner Chad Haga said in the press conference: “It’ll take a bit longer to realize but it’ll come. My victory is of course a consolation price after Tom Dumoulin pulled out. I came in top form but it was a support form. During the time trial, I kept thinking this is what Tom would have been doing today if he was here. I thought today I had a real possibility because the course suited me very well and for sure better than the one of stage 9. As an American, I feel very proud of winning a stage at the Giro d’Italia.
“It was a very fast course, with a lot of technical corners. The climb was very tough to pace, there was no rhythm on it and you had to constantly adjust your effort to the climb. The descent after the climb was very fast and technical. The extended recon I did for that paid off; I watched a video of it around twenty times this morning. After the last TT we knew this one would suit me more, so I’m very thankful for the team allowing me to save myself as much as possible over the last week for today. It’s been a hard Giro for us; we started well but then lost Tom, Rob, Louis and Sam. Since then we have been trying to salvage anything from the race. The win means a lot to me but it also means a lot to the team too, it redeems the Giro for us.”
Points Classification winner Pascal Ackermann said: “The atmosphere in the arena is fabulous. I have never experienced anything like this before. It makes me feel special about the getting the Cyclamen jersey, which was a childhood dream. Coming to the Giro, I was only hoping for a victory but after I won two stages, it looked worth trying to go for the jersey as well. But I was very disappointed after my crash. I lost a lot of points but we kept working on getting it back. I wasn’t expecting what I’ve experienced over these three weeks and I’m just happy about everything.”
King of the Mountains Giulio Ciccone said: “It’s been a beautiful Giro, even a bit above my expectations. It all started with trying to get it riding the San Luca flat out on day one, and I’ve had the jersey almost all the time, except when my roommate Gianluca Brambilla got it for a day. It was worth fighting every day and getting the Mortirolo stage win as well.”
Best young rider Miguel Angel Lopez said: “The result at this Giro is a bit less than what we hoped for but it wasn’t because of bad legs, it’s been because of bad luck. But it’s fine because we’ve battled through and given our best as always. For one year, I’ve been thinking that I can win the Giro one day and I’ll come back for winning it.”
Stage 21 Brief Results:
- Chad Haga (Team Sunweb) – 17.0km in 22’07”, average speed 46.119km/h
- Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal) at 4″
- Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) at 6″
Final General Classification:
- Richard Carapaz (Movistar Team)
- Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain – Merida) at 1’05”
- Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo – Visma) at 2’30”
- Mikel Landa (Movistar Team) at 2’38”
- Bauke Mollema (Trek – Segafredo) at 5’43”
Jerseys:
- Maglia Rosa (pink), general classification leader, sponsored by Enel – Richard Carapaz (Movistar Team)
- Maglia Ciclamino (cyclamen), sprinter classification leader, sponsored by Segafredo – Pascal Ackermann (Bora – Hansgrohe)
- Maglia Azzurra (blue), King of the Mountains classification leader, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Giulio Ciccone (Trek – Segafredo)
- Maglia Bianca (white), young rider general classification leader, sponsored by Eurospin – Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Pro Team)
Ron is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.
Websites:
Bike World News
Ron’s Bike Garage
Current Bike Quiver:
Bird Bikes Zero 29 29″ hardtail mountain bike
Commencal Absolut 26″ Dirt Jump/Pump Track bike
Commencal Tempo 29″ full suspension mountain bike
Felt ZA 700c race bike
Kona Kilauea vintage 26″ mountain bike
Niner RLT9 700c road/gravel bike
Specialized Stumpjumper vintage 26″ mountain bike
Day Job: Digital Marketing
Night Job: Digital Marketing, eCommerce Consultant, Web Consultant, Bike Shop Operator, Husband, Dad, Tenor